Prevention Practice Pearls

Recently, I was asked if I had any concerns about elevated levels of TMAO—trimethylamine N-oxide--with a diet high in eggs. This is a reasonable question given that elevated TMAO levels have been linked to increased cardiovascular disease and stroke. As with most physiologic functions, however, the answer is nuanced and highly individualized. It’s not a simple “good or bad” subject.

The use of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to quell inflammation and autoimmunity brings more risk than benefit. Dr. Russell Jaffe, developer of The Alkaline Way lifestyle program, says it is actually a harmful choice that one should avoid.

The combination of Rhodiola extract with two other adaptogenic herbs--Magnolia and Phellodendron—create a wonderful synergistic effect that addresses the cortisol/DHEA imbalance so rampant in the 21st century world.

Public drinking water routinely contains contaminants that the body does not benefit from and that are sometimes downright toxic. What can we do to improve the quality and healthfulness of the water that we, and our patients, use? Here are some tips regarding the most common systems based on my research.

Regular exposure to dichromatic (also called “dichroic”) light is an effective modality for positively influencing the neural pathways between the eyes and the brain in ways that help to reduce the negative impact of chronic stress, and to help the body shift toward greater balance.

Choline, a water-soluble vitamin-like nutrient that is recognized for its role in methylation, liver detoxification, bile production, and neuro-hormonal suppor, is also able to increase the transport of magnesium into cells.

There are simple steps our patients can take can take that could go a long way in reducing their overall toxic burden. These steps, combined with diligent efforts to limit the uptake of toxins--whether pollutants, pesticides or heavy metals—can and should be a part of anyone’s overall health maintenance and disease prevention strategy.

One of the key features of LD is the broad impairment of the affected individual’s innate immune response. The usual process of phagocytosis and lysosome recycling does not occur properly. Without improved immune defense and repair functions, the remissions obtained with antibiotics alone will seldom be more than fleeting.

There's a lot of talk these days about following an "alkaline" diet as a way of restoring health and prolonging life. In principle a lot of the core ideas behind this approach make good physiological sense.

It is a basic fact of physiology that the efficiency of any biochemical pathway is limited by the chemical substrate that is most essential and least available. This is known as Von Liebig's Law of Limiting Substances, and as clinicians we would do well to keep it in mind.

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